WestEdge 2017: What You Missed

Bringing style to the West Coast for the fifth consecutive year, the 2017 WestEdge Design Fair showcased the best in modern design from Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger. The four-day event, which stretched from October 19 to 22, brought high-profile names from architecture and interior design across categories including lighting, furnishings and kitchen and bath fixtures. Among the more than 150 exhibitors, a handful of well-composed and conceptually interesting booths made an impression.

Buster + Punch
A triumph of industrial styling, London-born Buster + Punch began as a custom motorcycle brand before expanding into the interior design sector as an in-demand hardware manufacturer. Balancing the use of raw materials with obsessive attention to detailing, Buster + Punch emerges as a bold and sculpted newcomer to the U.S. market.

True to their brand DNA, Buster + Punch’s WestEdge booth was intense and impactful. Featuring a full-scale motorcycle, a striking exposed bulb chandelier and a wall of machined hardware, their display drew attendees in with a visual narrative of hand-forged expertise. As rebellious as their presentation, Buster + Punch offered guests shots of single-grain scotch, which one could obtain by exchanging a small business-sized advertisement reading, “F**k it, let’s get wasted (and look at hardware).”

Milk StandThe esteemed online magazine Design Milk leads in architecture, design and lifestyle sectors, boasting a strong reputation as a publication backed by hip trend-spotters and trendsetters. From these visionaries comes the Milk Stand, a first-year WestEdge popup shop that has gained acclaim from its previous appearances at ICFF.

The Milk Stand expanded across the majority of one wall of WestEdge in a sequence of engaging booths. The procession featured a slew of independent designers including Capsule Wallets, Lupa Bags, Multiply Made, UME Studio and more. Popular and shoppable, the string of displays offered everything from wearable architecture to lifestyle accessories.

The brand’s Santa Monica appearance was deliberately understated yet inviting, as their small booth was modeled after a modern living room, complete with a wire-frame coffee table, set of seating options and wall-hung animal head. Channeling California vibes through rich, warm finishes and clean minimalism through fuss-free frames, Bend Goods surfaces as a newer name in modern furnishings.